WEBVTT GLEN BURNIE. TRYING TO RESCUE KYLE HANCOC OF WHEN BERNIE. HAND SHOVELS BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO MORE HARM. HANCOCK IS A 2016 GRADUATE OF NORTH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL. HANCOCK STOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 20 FOOT DEEP TRENCH WORKING ON A SEWER LINE WHEN THE WALLS CAME -- CAVED IN. >> WHEN WE ARRIVED WE DID NOT SEE ANY PROTECTIVE BARRIER AND WE KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT IF WE WANTED TO RESCUE THE 19-YEAR-OLD CONSTRUCTION WORKER, WE HAD TO GET DOWN THERE. BUT BEFORE WE CAN EVEN DO THAT, WE HAD TO BUILD THIS PROTECTIVE TERRIER FOR OUR GUYS. DAVID: ACCORDING TO MARYLAND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH, THEY REQUIRE A FIVE FOO SYSTEM. HANCOCK WAS FOUND 20 FEET DOWN. A TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ON TOP OF AN ALREADY WATER SATURATED GROUND ALSO PROVED TO BE A HAZARD. >> IN ADDITION TO THE WEATHER BEING A FACTOR, THERE WAS WATER ACCUMULATIVE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TRENCH. DAVID: CIT FIRE IDENTIFIES THE CONTRACTOR. A CHECK DID NOT TUR UP PREVIOUS VIOLATIONS. >> WORKERS SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY NO, I AM NOT GOING IN THERE, AND THE FACT WAS TOLD ARE DIRECTED TO GO IN, SOMEONE WAS CLEARLY NEGLIGENT HOW HE HANDLED THIS JOB SITE. DAVID: IT TOOK 10 HOURS TO REACH HIS BODY. STATE OFFICIALS ARE INVESTIGATING THE CONDITIONS THAT LED TO THE TRENCH COLLAPS

Baltimore City fire crews have recovered the body of a 20-year-old construction worker who was caught under a collapsed trench for several hours Tuesday.

Crews reached the contractor's body around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. The man, who has been identified as Kyle Hancock, of Glen Burnie, was working on a sewer line in a more than 15-feet deep trench when the ground collapsed beneath and around him, creating muddy conditions, fire officials said.

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"From what we were told by the other construction workers, the (man) was inside of the hole working on a sewage line when dirt and debris fell on top of him," Baltimore City Fire Department Chief Niles R. Ford said.

Baltimore City Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said Hancock was in the center and the sides fell onto him.

"All of that dirt and debris fell on top of him," Adams said.

Crews were called at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to Sinclair Lane near North Chester Street for a rescue and saw two co-workers trying to dig him out, Adams said.

"When we arrived on the scene, we didn't see any protective barrier, and we knew immediately that if we wanted to rescue the construction worker, we had to get down there, but before we could even do that, we had to build this protective barrier for our guys," Adams said.

Crews had to build and put in place a protective barrier before continuing the operation in what then turned into a recovery effort, Adams said.

"You do this. This is not something debatable. It's understood," said Steve Lanning, a safety expert with the Labor International Union of North America. "People don't realize it, but a 5-foot trench collapses on you, it's like the weight of a car."

Firefighters and crews from several other jurisdictions assisted in the recovery efforts, which lasted more than 10 hours.

Fatigue and weather were factors in the search and recovery efforts, officials said.

"In addition to the weather being a factor, there was water accumulating at the bottom of the trench," Adams said. "They were digging with hand shovels to make sure they wouldn't cause any further damage."

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Crews had to dig 20 to 21 feet deep in the collapsed trench before Hancock's body was found and retrieved, Adams said.

"It's a hectic situation though, you know, but he was out here doing his job," neighbor Wardell Badgy said. "I'd like to send my support to the family."

Hancock's parents made it to the scene, Adams said, and while they expressed their appreciation for the first responders' efforts, they were emotional.

Hancock was a 2016 graduate of North County High School in Glen Burnie. Visitation is scheduled for 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. at Singleton Funeral and Cremation Services (1 Second Ave. SW in Glen Burnie).

A celebration of life service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday in the funeral home chapel.

The construction company that was on site was R.F. Warder Inc., of White Marsh, officials said.

A public records check did not turn up previous violations.

"A worker should have the right to say, 'No, I'm not going in there. It's unsafe.' And the fact he was told to go in there or directed to go in there, someone was clearly negligent in how they handled this job site," Lanning said.

Crews spent Wednesday removing truckloads of dirt to resume working on a sewer line in Clifton Park.

Stay with wbaltv.com and 11 News for more on this developing story.

19 year old Kyle Hancock was a 2016 graduate of North County High School in Glen Burnie. Sadly , he lost his life to a trench cave in at Clifton Park. Emergency crews using hand shovels found his body 20 feet down pic.twitter.com/qXTiN0P0xh